Nasa creates a sticky 'space Velcro' gripper

Sticky'space Velcro' grippers based on the adhesive feet of geckos have been developed by Nasa to clear up dangerous space junk in orbit. Around 500,000 pieces of human-made debris currently orbit our planet, made up of disused satellites, bits of spacecraft and spent rockets. They whip around Earth at up to 17,500 mph (28,000 kph) and experts predict that if the problem isn't fixed soon it could block future launches and post a threat to future'space tourists'. Now Nasa has developed a new way to fix the problem using a device with special adhesives that work in space. Sticky'space Velcro' grippers based on the adhesive feet of geckos have been developed by Nasa to clear up dangerous space junk in orbit.